Christmas planning – start a Christmas present spreadsheet

This post is part of my 10 week Christmas planning series. You can find the rest of the series here.

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Do you buy Christmas presents through out the year but then forget you bought them or where you put them? Do you have family and friends ask you for present ideas for you kids and partner?Then this Christmas present spreadsheet will help solve both of these problems.

I have been keeping a Christmas present spreadsheet for a few years and it has been such a great organisational tool. As well as solving the above problems it also:

keeps a record of any online purchases I have made and when.

can be used as a reference to see what I have bought people in previous years.

helps me track my Christmas expenditure so I can stick to our budget.

Christmas present suggestion list

I have updated the original Christmas planning spreadsheet so it includes a Christmas present suggestion list – it has present ideas for the me, the kids and my husband. You can download it here:

I actually feel quite awkward giving family and friends ideas for Christmas presents, but I have found now the kids are older, they really want me to give them ideas. By giving suggestions when asked it can reduce the amount of stuff that comes into the house that is not used.

I have however made the mistake of telling multiple people the same ideas. There were quite a lot of t-shirts received that year! By noting down the preset ideas and then who I have given the suggestion to, I can make sure there aren’t double ups. When I am asked for Christmas present suggestions, I will give two or three ideas, but let the gift giver know that the kids are happy to receive any gift from them.

My younger sister is actually way more organised than me and made me realise that a broad suggestion isn’t always very helpful. Sometimes they need to know some more details like size, preferred colour etc. Here is an example of what my improved list looks like based on her feedback!

Child 1: DC Comics – he has just started this series which can be can be purchased online here.

Child 4: Skylanders Trap team – only has x and x so any other characters would be fine

Child 5: Football stuff – loves Collingwood, so any team stuff will be adored e.g. lunch box, drink bottle, pyjamas, football

I have chosen not to ask the kids what they would like from their aunties and uncles as I don’t want them to have an expectant attitude towards Christmas gifts. And thankfully they don’t. When my family ask the kids themselves is their anything they would like, the most common answer is “a surprise”.

Christmas present purchased list

The second list is a Christmas present purchased list. This is where I enter what I have bought and made as Christmas gifts for people. This is particular helpful if you buy and make presents through out the year. It is so easy to forget the beautiful nail polishes you bought on sale in January to give to friends for Christmas and shoved in the back of the present cupboard.

If I buy presents online I like to note the date I made the purchase, the website address, a reference number and estimated delivery time so I can keep track of what should be arriving.

I have certain go to gifts that I love to buy for people – candles, books, nail polish, aprons, etc. However I do try not to buy the same thing for someone two years in a row, so by keeping this list each year, I have it to refer back to and make sure that there is some variety and thought put into the gifts I purchase or make.

Nicole Avery is a Melbourne mum to five beautiful kids aged 19 to 9. Nic is slightly addicted to spreadsheets, tea, running, CrossFit. Her goal for 2018 is to detach from the old and embrace the new to nurture a family spirit of adventure. Read More…